1791 - John Fitch was granted a patent for a steamboat after a dispute on the invention, but it wasn't until 1814 that Fulton and Livingston started
steam boating when they began to offer regular steamboat service between New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi. The boats traveled at the rates of eight miles per hour downstream and three miles per hour upstream. It revolutionized commerce in the area, eventually spreading up the entire Mississippi and other tributaries.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug26.html
    1839 - The slave ship Amistad was captured off Long Island. The U.S.S. Washington, a U.S. Navy brig, seized the Amistad York, and escorted it to New London, Connecticut.
    1847 - Liberia was proclaimed an independent republic. Freed American slaves founded Liberia. They modeled their constitution after that of the US, copied the US flag, and named their capital Monrovia, after James Monroe, who financed early settlers. Over the decades, 16,400 former slaves made the voyage. They assumed that the 16 native tribes were there to be exploited.
    1862 - The stage is set for the Second Battle of Bull Run when Confederate cavalry under General Fitzhugh Lee enter Manassas Junction and capture the rail center. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia against Union Gen. Pope’s Army of Virginia of a much larger scale and numbers than the First Bull Run fought on July 21, 1861 on the same ground. Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson captured the Union supply depot at Manassas Jct, threatening Pope's line of communications with Washington, DC. Withdrawing a few miles to the northwest, Jackson took up defensive positions on Stony Ridge. On August 28, 1862, Jackson attacked a Union column just east of Gainesville, resulting in a stalemate. On that same day, the wing of Lee's army commanded by Maj. Gen. Longstreet broke through light Union resistance and approached the battlefield. Pope became convinced that he had trapped Jackson and concentrated the bulk of his army against him. On August 29, Pope launched a series of assaults against Jackson's position. The attacks were repulsed with heavy casualties on both sides. At noon, Longstreet arrived and took position on Jackson's right flank. On August 30, Pope renewed his attacks, seemingly unaware that Longstreet was on the field. When massed Confederate artillery devastated a Union assault by Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter’s V Corps, Longstreet's wing of 25,000 men in five divisions counterattacked in the largest simultaneous mass assault of the war. The Union left flank was crushed and the army was driven back to Bull Run. Only an effective Union rear guard action prevented a replay of the First Bull Run defeat.  The result was a major victory for the Confederacy.
    1865 - Civil War ends with naval strength over 58,500 men and 600 ships.
    1867 - The National Teachers Association was organized at a national convention attended by representatives of state teachers' associations, who met in the Hall of the Controllers of the Public Schools in Philadelphia, PA. The organization was intended “to elevate the character and advance the interest of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of popular education in the United Sates. John L. Enos was chairman. At the conventional held in Cleveland, OH on August 15, 1870, the name was changed to the National Education Association.
    1873 - The birthday of Lee DeForest (1873-1961) at Council Bluffs, IA.  A brilliant inventor whose inventions include the electron tube, radio knife for surgery and the photoelectric cell, he was also a pioneer in the creation of talking pictures and television. Lee was holder of hundreds of patents but perhaps is best remembered by the moniker he gave himself in the title of his autobiography, “Father of Radio,” published in 1950. So unbelievable was the idea of wireless radio broadcasting that De Forest was accused of fraud and arrested for selling stock to underwrite his invention that would become an essential part of daily life.
    1873 - The first public school kindergarten class started this day by the Board of Education of St. Louis, MO, and officially opened September, 1873 in the Des Peres School, with an enrollment of 42. Susan Elizabeth Blow was the teacher. Dr. William Torrey Harris was the superintendent of schools. The concept first started in Germany, thus the name of this organized and public “pre-school” class.
    1874 - Birthday of Zona Gale (1874-1938) in Portage, WI.  She was the first woman to have a play on Broadway and the first woman to win the Pulitzer (1921) for drama. An ardent feminist and activist, her writing style evolved throughout her life and her later works appear to be the works of a different writer.
    1883 - The biggest explosion in history, the eruption of the Indonesian volcanic island, Karakatoa (Krakatau), was heard 3,000 miles away, created tidal waves 120 feet high, killed 36,000 people, hurled five cubic miles of earth fragments into the air (some to a height of 50 miles) and effected the oceans and the atmosphere for years.
    1896 - Besse Berry Cooper (1896-2012) was born in Sullivan County, TN. She was an American supercentenarian who was the world’s oldest living person from June 21, 2011, until her death. She was, at the time of her death, the 8th oldest verified person ever and one of only eight people verified to have lived to the age of 116.
    1901 - The New Testament of the ASV (American Standard Version) Bible was first published. This U.S. edition of the 1881 English Revised Version (ERV) comprised the first major American Bible translation since the King James Version of 1611.
    1901 – A major figure of the Viet Nam era, Gen. Maxwell Taylor (1901-87) was born in Keytesville, MO.
    1903 - Singer Jimmy Rushing’s (1901-72) birthday, Oklahoma City.
http://www.harlem.org/people/rushing.html
http://www.blueflamecafe.com/index.html
http://www.bigbandmusic.com/malevocals/letterr/rushingjimmy.htm
    1904 - Birthday of Christopher Isherwood (1904-86) at High Lane Cheshire, England.  He lived in the Pacific Palisades when I was growing up and we ran into him often in coffee shops with his close male companion. Isherwood was an author of short stories, plays and novels.  The play and motion picture “I am a Camera” and the musical “Cabaret” were based on the short story, “Sally Bowles” in his collection from the 1930's titled “Goodbye to Berlin,” which contained the line, “I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording not thinking”.
    1906 - Birthday of American medical researcher Albert Bruce Sabin (1906-71), at Bialystok, Poland. He is most noted for his oral vaccine for polio, which replaced Jonas Salk's injected vaccine because Sabin's provided lifetime protection. He was awarded the US National a Medal of Science in 1971.
    1909 – The Cuban Giants, of Trenton, NJ, were the first all-black professional baseball team and they played in the Middle States League.  2B William Bradford was killed by a bolt of lightning while playing a game, as the electricity carried through his spikes, ending his life at age 23.
    1909 – “Jock Ewing”, actor Jim Davis (1909-81) was born in Edgerton, MO.  Davis had the role as the head of the Ewing family in the CBS series “Dallas” (1978-91).  Before that, his film and TV resume includes dozens of mostly in supporting roles.
    1912 – Walter Johnson’s 16-game winning streak ends under American League rules of the time. Against the St. Louis Browns, he relieved with one out and two on in the 7th inning of a tie game. The two runners scored on a single and the Nationals lost, 4-3. The two runs are charged to Johnson, not Hughes, giving him the defeat. Under the National League’s rules, and those of today, Johnson would not be charged with the loss. After the season, AL president Ban Johnson changed the rule to conform with the senior circuit but the damage was done and the streak ended.
    1920 - The 19th Amendment was certified and became part of the US Constitution. Known as the Woman's Equality Act, it prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex with regard to voting. It was a long time coming, actually submitted in 1868 to Congress and at intervals thereafter without much success. It actually passed the Congress on May 21, 1919, and by the Senate on June 4. It was ratified by Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan on June 10. Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify, on August 18, thus completing the necessary three-quarters of the states to put the amendment into effect. Not all the states ratified this amendment, by the way, while there were states that allowed women to vote in state and local elections, but not national elections.
    1921 – Ben Bradlee (1921-2014), former Executive Editor of The Washington Post during Watergate, was born in Boston.  He became a national figure during the presidency of Richard Nixon when he challenged the federal government over the right to publish the Pentagon Papers and oversaw the publication of Woodward’s and Bernstein’s stories documenting the scandal that eventually forced Nixon’s resignation.
    1924 - Birthday of singer Frances Wayne (1924-78) was born Clara Bertocci at Boston, MA.
    1934 – Tom Heinson was born in Jersey City, NJ.  He has been associated with the Boston Celtics for six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster. He played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1965, winning 8 NBA titles, and coached the team from 1969 to 1978, winning two NBA titles.  He is one of only four NBA Hall of Famers to be so honored as both a player and coach.
     1937 - Pumping of bay sand to build Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay is finished. The original intention was to become the city’s airport, but holding the city's third World’s Fair took precedence.   During World War II, the Navy seized the island and built a Naval Air Station that operated through 1997.
http://www.dictyon.com/treasure/#anchor1256920
    1927 - Birthday Annie Turner Wittenmeyer (1827-1900) in Adams County, OH, who spent at least $130,000 of her own money and personally carried food and supplies to the front and to wounded soldiers in hospitals during the Civil War. She developed special diet kitchens for army hospitals because the food was so bad.
    1939 - The first Major League baseball game to be shown on television was a double-header played at Ebbetts Field between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Both games were televised by station W2XBS, New York City, using two cameras that alternated according to the play. During the intermission, there were appearances by Leo Durocher, manager of the Dodgers, William McKechnie, manager of the Reds, and several players. Hall of Fame broadcaster Walter Lanier “Red” Barber was the announcer.
    1943 - Birthday of Charles Isbell, Sr., author of “This Day in Black History”, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
http://www.isbell.org/~isbell/home_Charles.html
    1943 - William Dawson elected Black Democratic Party vice-presidential candidate.
    1946 - Birthday of composer, singer and producer Valerie Simpson Ashford in The Bronx.  With husband Nick Ashford (1941-2011) they were a husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording artists.  Their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap, ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step at a Time"), The Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of their songs, "Let’s Go Get Stoned", gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year, Ashford & Simpson joined Motown where their best-known songs included "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough", "You’re All I Need to Get By", "Ain’t Nothin Like the Real Thing", and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand) ". Ashford and Simpson wrote many other hit songs, including “I’m Every Woman” (1978) and "Is It Still Good to You?"  As performers, Ashford & Simpson's best-known duets are "Solid (As a Rock)" and "Found a Cure" (1979). They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award in 1999, and ASCAP’s highest honor, the Founder's Award, which they received on March 18, 1996. 
    1947 - Don Bankhead became the first black pitcher in the Majors. The Brooklyn Dodger hurler helped his own cause by slamming a home run in his first appearance at the plate.
    1950 – Dodgers’ C Roy Campanella hit three home runs in a 7 - 5 win over the Reds at Crosley Field.
    1950 - HANDRICH, MELVIN O., Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 5th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Near Sobuk San Mountain, Korea, 25 and 26 August 1950. Entered service at: Manawa, Wis. Born: 26 January 1919, Manawa, Wis. G.O. No.: 60, 2 August 1951. Citation: M/Sgt. Handrich, Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. His company was engaged in repulsing an estimated 150 enemy who were threatening to overrun its position. Near midnight on 25 August, a hostile group over 100 strong attempted to infiltrate the company perimeter. M/Sgt. Handrich, despite the heavy enemy fire, voluntarily left the comparative safety of the defensive area and moved to a forward position where he could direct mortar and artillery fire upon the advancing enemy. He remained at this post for 8 hours directing fire against the enemy who often approached to within 50 feet of his position. Again, on the morning of 26 August, another strong hostile force made an attempt to overrun the company's position. With complete disregard for his safety, M/Sgt. Handrich rose to his feet and from this exposed position fired his rifle and directed mortar and artillery fire on the attackers. At the peak of this action he observed elements of his company preparing to withdraw. He perilously made his way across fire-swept terrain to the defense area where, by example and forceful leadership, he reorganized the men to continue the fight. During the action M/Sgt. Handrich was severely wounded. Refusing to take cover or be evacuated, he returned to his forward position and continued to direct the company's fire. Later a determined enemy attack overran M/Sgt. Handrich's position and he was mortally wounded. When the position was retaken, over 70 enemy dead were counted in the area he had so intrepidly defended. M/Sgt. Handrich's sustained personal bravery, consummate courage, and gallant self-sacrifice reflect untold glory upon himself and the heroic traditions of the military service.     
    1951 - At the Polo Grounds, Chuck Connors, later TV’s “The Rifleman”, clubbed his 2nd and last major league homer, a three-run shot off the Giants’ Sal Maglie in the 9th to give the visiting Cubs a temporary 4-4 tie. The Giants took the nightcap, 5-1, to run their victory streak to 14 games. Willie Mays electrified the crowd in the 6th by singling, advancing on a balk and a short fly, and stealing home. The Giants now trail the Dodgers by six games a week after trailing by 13.5 games.
    1957 - The theme from the movie “Tammy and the Bachelor”, called simply "Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds sat at the top of both the Billboard record chart and Cashbox Magazine's best sellers list. Debbie was accompanied by only a piano on the single release, but the movie version included a full orchestra.
    1957 - The Ford Motor Company rolled out the first Edsel automobile. 110,847 of the cars were built before Ford pulled the plug due to lack of sales. The car was named Edsel for the company founder's son, Edsel Bryant Ford.
    1960 - Birthday of musician Branford Marsalis, Breaux Bridge, LA.
    1961 - The NHL Hockey Hall of Fame opened in Toronto, Canada.
    1961 – Roger Maris, on the way to a record 61, hit his 51st HR, the most homers in Major League history at this point in the season.
    1964 - Lyndon Baines Johnson was nominated at Democratic convention in Atlantic City, NJ, after assuming the presidency upon the death of John F. Kennedy in 1963.  Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota was nominated for the vice-presidency. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, a joint resolution approving US action in Southeast Asia, was passed by Congress less than twenty days earlier. In September, the Warren Commission would report the assassination of John F. Kennedy was by one lone person, Lee Harvey Oswald, and that Jack Ruby, convicted murdered of Oswald, had had no prior contact with Oswald. In November, Johnson would gain 486 electoral votes over Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, 52, with a popular vote split of 43,126,506 to 27,176,799. The Democrats would gain one senate seat for a 68-32 majority, and 37 House seats for a 296-140 majority. Johnson would think it was his “hawk” stand and being a “leader” that got him the position, not the television ads of the atomic bomb explosions that told this would happen if Goldwater were chosen. The death of JFK was still in everyone's mind, and Johnson being sworn in with Jackie Kennedy on the airplane was vivid.
    1966 - 13th Floor Elevator, Grace Slick and the Great Society, and Sopwith Camel at the San Francisco Fillmore Auditorium.
    1966 - After seeing a caricature of himself on the scoreboard, an angry Leo Durocher calls the Astrodome's press box to have it removed. When nothing is done, the enraged Cubs manager rips the phone out of the dugout wall and tosses it onto the infield.
    1967 - The Beatles followed their favorite new lecturer, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to University College in Bangor, North Wales, along with Mick Jagger and his girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull. After his lecture the group, he held a press conference to announce that they've become his disciples in the "Spiritual Regeneration Movement" and officially renounced the use of all drugs.
    1967 - DAY, GEORGE E., Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Colonel (then Major), U.S. Air Force, Forward Air Controller Pilot of an F-100 aircraft. Place and date: North Vietnam, 26 August 1967. Entered service at: Sioux City, Iowa. Born: 24 February 1925, Sioux City, Iowa. Citation: On 26 August 1967, Col. Day was forced to eject from his aircraft over North Vietnam when it was hit by ground fire. His right arm was broken in 3 places, and his left knee was badly sprained. He was immediately captured by hostile forces and taken to a prison camp where he was interrogated and severely tortured. After causing the guards to relax their vigilance, Col. Day escaped into the jungle and began the trek toward South Vietnam. Despite injuries inflicted by fragments of a bomb or rocket, he continued southward surviving only on a few berries and uncooked frogs. He successfully evaded enemy patrols and reached the Ben Hai River, where he encountered U.S. artillery barrages. With the aid of a bamboo log float, Col. Day swam across the river and entered the demilitarized zone. Due to delirium, he lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly for several days. After several unsuccessful attempts to signal U.S. aircraft, he was ambushed and recaptured by the Viet Cong, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left hand and thigh. He was returned to the prison from which he had escaped and later was moved to Hanoi after giving his captors false information to questions put before him. Physically, Col. Day was totally debilitated and unable to perform even the simplest task for himself. Despite his many injuries, he continued to offer maximum resistance. His personal bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy. Col. Day's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.
    1967 - Jimi Hendrix's “Purple Haze” was released. Are You Experienced? (1968) is the greatest psychedelic blues ever conceived. Classic Albums:  “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” - Electric Ladyland DVD. Great footage of Hendrix and The Experience. This DVD is a rare insight into one of the truest musical genius of the 20th century.
    1968 - The first national political convention to propose African-Americans for the offices of President and Vice-President took place at the Democratic convention in Chicago.  Rev. Channing Emery Phillips of Washington, DC received 67.5 of the 2,622 votes. Julian Bond of Atlanta was nominated on August 29, but declined, as he did not fulfill the necessary age requirement. Once considered the rising star on the political arena, he all but disappeared from national view and died Aug. 15, 2015.
    1968 - Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley P.T.A." is certified Gold.
    1968 - Democratic Party Convention in Chicago: Yippie activist Abbie Hoffman protested a decision to forcibly drive people out of the park. Tom Hayden was arrested in the afternoon for a certain squad car incident. Hoffman and Jerry Rubin allegedly urged demonstrators to hold Lincoln Park. Rennie Davis urged demonstrators "Don't let the pigs take the hill (high ground near a statue in the park)". About 3,000 demonstrators gathered chanting, singing songs, and talking and were attacked by police with clubs and tear gas after the 11 pm curfew.  Meanwhile, Mayor Richard Daley opened the Democratic National Convention.
    1968 - The Beatles releases "Hey Jude" b/w "Revolution"
    1969 - Although Elvis Presley has written a soprano part for backup singer Cissy Houston during "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", her actual live performance of it tonight at the International Hotel in Vegas strikes Elvis as amazingly funny for some reason, leading to a collector's classic: a performance where the King cannot stop laughing. "That's it, man, fourteen years right down the drain," he jokes as the song ends.
    1970 - In San Francisco, the Isle of Wight Pop Festival was underway.  Jimi Hendrix made his last public appearance. Other Isle of Wight artists included The Who, John Sebastian, Donovan, Ten Years After, The Doors, Moody Blues, Kris Kristofferson, Miles Davis, Leonard Cohen, Tiny Tim, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Joan Baez and Jethro Tull.
    1970 - Jimi Hendrix opened his recording studio in New York City. Because of its state-of-the-art 36-track recording capability, it attracted many top rock groups.
    1970 - After an all-night jam, the Allman Brothers' Duane Allman asks Eric Clapton if he can attend the recording sessions for his new group, Derek and the Dominoes. Clapton agrees, only on the condition that Allman also play on the sessions.
    1970 – Betty Friedan (1921-2006) led the feminist movement to a nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality.  Her 1963 book, “The Feminist Mystique” is often credited with sparking the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century. In 1966, Friedan co-founded and was elected the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), which aimed to bring women "into the mainstream of American society now [in] fully equal partnership with men".  In 1970, after stepping down as NOW's first president, Friedan organized the nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality on the 50th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote. The national strike was successful beyond expectations in broadening the feminist movement; the march led by Friedan in New York City alone attracted over 50,000 women and men. In 1971, Friedan joined other leading feminists to establish the National Women’s Political Caucus. Friedan was also a strong supporter of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution that passed the United States House of Representatives (by a vote of 354–24) and Senate (84–8) following intense pressure by women's groups led by NOW in the early 1970s. Following Congressional passage of the amendment, Friedan advocated for ratification of the amendment in the states and supported other women's rights reforms: she founded the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws but was later critical of the abortion-centered positions of many liberal feminists.     
    1978 - Italian Cardinal Albino Luciani, 65, was elevated to the papacy as John Paul I. His unexpected, and to some, suspicious, death only 34 days later left a profound sadness for millions of people who had been drawn to him by his warm personality.
    1978 - Nearly sixteen years after he topped the US record charts with "Sherry", Frankie Valli had the number one song again, with the title track from the musical “Grease”. It went on to sell over 2 million in the States and was also a #3 hit in the UK.
    1980 - Kansas City Royals 3B George Brett raised his batting average to .407 with four singles and a double in 5 at-bats.
    1981 - The Mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Marion Dewar, declared today "Paul Anka Day" in honor of its native son.
    1987 - The Fuller Brush Company announced plans to open two retail stores in Dallas, TX. This was a first for the company that had sold its products door to door for 81 years.
    1987 - Sonny Bono (1935-98), who once said that he never voted until age 53, announced that he was running for Mayor of Palm Springs, California. Sonny said he was frustrated over the red tape he faced for a remodeling project at his Italian restaurant. He would win the election in 1988 and serve until 1992. He failed in a Senate race later that year, but won a seat in Congress in 1996. Bono died in a skiing accident on January 6th, 1998, at the age of 62.
    1988 - A dozen cities in Texas, Colorado and California reported record high temperatures for the date, including readings of 100 degrees at Pueblo, CO, 106 degrees at Wichita Falls, TX, and 109 degrees at Redding, CA. Afternoon thunderstorms in Utah deluged the town of Beaver with more than an inch of rain in twenty minutes.
    1990 – In his first game after six weeks on the DL, Kansas City’s Bo Jackson homered in his first at bat, off later Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, to tie a Major League record with four consecutive homers. Bo added a single and double as KC rolled by Seattle, 8-2.
    1992 - A no-fly zone was imposed on southern Iraq. Operation Southern Watch was orchestrated by the United States, France and Britain. The campaign supported U.N. Security Council resolutions containing Iraq, protecting Kuwait, and keeping pressure on Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime.
    1996 - With ten year, $20 million deal, Pro Player, the sports apparel division of Fruit of the Loom, becomes the first sports marketing and products company to have its name used as the moniker for a stadium. The renaming of Joe Robbie Stadium, the home of the Florida Marlins, to Pro Player Stadium sparks controversy as many Miamians believe the name of the benefactor, whose name will be removed, should still be included due to his generosity and efforts to fund the original project.
    2002 - The first video streaming coverage of a Major League baseball game takes place on the internet. Approximately 30,000 fans visit MLB.com to see the Yankees defeat the Rangers, 10-3.
    2002 - Derek Jeter becomes only the third player to score at least 100 runs in his first seven major league seasons. The Yankees' shortstop joins Hall of Fame outfielders Ted Williams (Red Sox, 1939-49) and Earle Combs (Yankees, 1925-32) as the only big leaguers to accomplish the feat.
    2003 - Rolling Stone Magazine named Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist in Rock history. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ry Cooder also made the top 10.
    2005 - A post office in Los Angeles was renamed after singer Ray Charles due to its close proximity to the studio where he recorded later in life.
    2014 - Burger King Worldwide Inc. acquired Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons Inc. for US$11B and moved its headquarters to Canada. The merger created the third-largest global fast food company, Restaurant Brands International.